Air cleaners and purifiers are widely used for removing foreign substances from the air. The foreign substances can include pollen, dander, smoke, pollutants, dust, etc. In addition, an air cleaner can be used to circulate room air. An air cleaner can be used in many settings, including at home, in offices, etc.
One type of air cleaner is an electrostatic precipitator. An electrostatic precipitator operates by creating an electrical field. Dirt and debris in the air becomes ionized when it is brought into the electrical field by an airflow. Charged positive and negative electrodes in the electrostatic precipitator air cleaner, such as positive and negative plates, attract the ionized dirt and debris. The electrodes can release the dirt and debris when not powered, and the electrostatic precipitator can be removed and cleaned. Because the electrostatic precipitator comprises electrodes or plates through which airflow can easily and quickly pass, only a low amount of energy is required to generate the airflow. As a result, foreign objects in the air can be efficiently and effectively removed without the need for a mechanical filter element.
In the prior art, an electrostatic precipitator is typically assembled by inserting a series of electrode plates into an air cleaner chassis. Alternatively, in the prior art the plates are assembled together into some manner of integral unit. The chassis can include plastic end plates that receive and hold the electrode plates. Alternatively, the prior art electrostatic precipitator can include electrode plates that are welded or bonded into a fixed unit.
The prior art has drawbacks. The prior does not include a frame that forms an electrostatic precipitator as an integral unit. In the prior art, there are no retainer devices that hold the frame into a chassis. In the prior art, the electrostatic precipitator cannot be front loaded (i.e., push in, pull out). In the prior art, the electrostatic precipitator rests in the chassis on its bottom surface.